Business Game Time

In business and in sports, many say that becoming number one is easier than staying on top. Spanish keeper Iker Casillas shows how respect can be the key to staying successful continuously.

Filed under: soccer (football) by Johannes
No Comments » Tagged with: competitor • fifa world cup 2010 • final • iker casillas • italy • pedro proenca • referee • respect • rival • soccer (football) • spain • stoppage time • top • uefa euro 2008 • uefa euro 2012 • vicente del bosque

When things go wrong, a scapegoat must be identified. A pattern that is tough to break. Here’s how stamina and a motivated team can help to overcome it – Fernando Alonso showed the way after losing the World Championship to Sebastian Vettel.

Filed under: motor sports by Johannes
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Why does it seem like soccer matches pick up speed after half time? It’s all about sense of urgency, better understanding, confidence and risk taking. Here are two ideas how to use this for improving meetings: The “22 minute meeting” and moving the half time up.

Filed under: soccer (football) by Johannes
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While teams in the big European soccer leagues play to qualify for the European Cup, teams in lower divisions don’t have that kind of motivation. While top management sits in fancy global meetings, work from those in lower management is less recognized and less incentivized. But why not create a “European Cup” for lower divisions?

Filed under: soccer (football) by Johannes
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Soccer tactics are like fashion: They only last for a certain time until new ones come up. Looking at the history of tactics at the World Cups, this article compares fashions in management strategies to soccer tactics fashion and also finds a way to explain why many matches at the 2010 World Cup were quite boring.

Filed under: soccer (football) by Johannes
5 Comments » Tagged with: 1930 • 1970 • 1974 • 1978 • 1982 • 1986 • 1990 • 1994 • 1998 • 2002 • 2006 • 2010 • 4-2-3-1 • 4-4-2 • ajax Amsterdam • americo gellego • australia • basic commodities • boring • boston consulting group • brazil • chile • competitive advantage • competitive strategy • control • defense • diego armando maradona • diego maradona • dot-com bubble • economic crisis • economists • england • euro 2008 • fifa world cup • flexibility • france • franz beckenbauer • germany • greece • growth-share matrix • honduras • italy • lothar matthaeus • lothar matthäus • michael e. porter • mutual neutralization • netherlands • organized • Paraguay • politicians • pyramid formation • raw materials • rinus michels • risk-taking • roberto baggio • ronaldo • security • serbia • shareholder value • slovenia • south africa • south korea • spain • speculation • strategic management consulting • switzerland • tactical • tactical formations • totaalvoetbal • usa • value based management • youri djorkaeff • zone defense

With Diego Maradona and Carlos Bilardo both going below the belt – are Argentina the bad boys of the World Cup? No, they are not; it’s just leaders taking away the pressure from their team. Learn more about craziness on purpose and the role of a wig in this post.

Filed under: soccer (football) by Johannes
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Mario Balotelli is 19 years old and arguably one of the biggest young talents in European soccer for years. He is discriminated for the color of his skin and his style of behavior.
Key learnings: Discrimination kills diversity and young talents must be protected.

Filed under: soccer (football) by Johannes
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Last Sunday: Third to last match day in the Italian soccer league, Serie A. At S.S. Lazio Rome’s home match against Inter Milan, Lazio fans started shouting “If you win we’ll beat you up”. The interesting thing about it: They were shouting at their own team! What was going on? To understand the Lazio fans […]

Filed under: soccer (football) by Johannes
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On May 22, Bayern Munich from Germany will meet Inter Milan from Italy in the UEFA Champions League Final, probably the biggest match in club soccer world wide. Flashback. Just half a year ago, in late November 2009, Bayern was only placed seventh in the domestic Bundesliga, six points behind the league leaders, and third […]

Filed under: soccer (football) by Johannes
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Arthur Antunes Coimbra is probably to soccer what Dan Marino is to American Football: Maybe the best play maker ever not to win the big title. Never heard of him? Let’s try his stage name then: The second player in my series on play makers (more about the series here) is no other than “Zico”. […]

Filed under: soccer (football) by Johannes
No Comments » Tagged with: 1982 • argentina • artful • arthur antunes coimbra • bad day • bad performance • beautiful • brazil • catenaccio • consistence • creative • culture • dan marino • defensive • diego maradona • diversity • dribbling • emotional • falcao • fifa world cup • forward-oriented • free kick • italy • joy • offensive • paolo rossi • play maker • result orientation • second chance • soccer (football) • socrates • structure • tele santana • white pele • zico